In every place of worship, I want men to pray with holy hands lifted up to God, free from anger and controversy. And I want women to be modest in their appearance. They should wear decent and appropriate clothing and n
ot draw attention to themselves by the way they fix their hair or by wearing gold or pearls or expensive clothes. For women who claim to be devoted to God should make themselves attractive by the good things they do. 1 Tim 2:8-10 NLT
The word “modesty” here is talking about a demeanor of reverence, showing respect to oneself and a regard for others. It carries the connotation of “bashful.” The KJV uses the word “shamefaced” which implies the idea of grief over sin that’s in the world. “Shamefaced” is a word that cautions women should be so sensitive to sin, knowing that sin is offensive to God, that we never even come close to trying to provoke it in others. If that biblical meaning of modesty is a bit confusing, I’ll try to give you a practical understanding of what modesty means. First of all, I want to reiterate that…
- Modesty is not anti-pretty
Paul is not anti-adornment. The force of his statement is positive: “women should adorn themselves.” These are not the words of an anti-fashion prude. The same word “adorn” is used to speak of a bride beautifying herself for her husband (Rev 21:2). It’s a term that expresses beingwell kept, accessorized and put in order. Paul is pointing his finger here at the real problem. His description of immodest dress conjures a picture of someone preoccupied with appearance, fashion, luxury, and sexual prowess. Modesty is not about an arbitrary set of rules about how much skin is shown, but about what our clothing communicates about our values.
In Ephesus, the original destination of this letter, the cultural elite was known for their gaudy and extravagant wardrobes, their elaborate hairstyles, and their expensive clothing that communicated extraordinary wealth, excesses, and sexuality. Paul paints a picture of this for the Ephesian Christians and tells them and us, “Don’t mimic that. When you come to church, come dressed in a way that shows you desire to the attention to be on God, not yourself.”
- Modesty is about who you worship
When you look at this passage in context, it’s easy to see that Paul is talking about how women should prepare themselves for coming to church. Women are commanded to adorn themselves in a way that’s fitting for worship. Ladies, if we “profess godliness,” if we desire to show God honor and reverence, then how should we dress? A simple question really, we really don’t have to over think it.
“And why worry about your clothing? Look at the lilies of the field and how they grow. They don’t work or make their clothing, yet Solomon in all his glory was not dressed as beautifully as they are. And if God cares so wonderfully for wildflowers that are here today and thrown into the fire tomorrow, he will certainly care for you. Why do you have so little faith? Matt 6:28-30 NLT
A person’s manner of dress, or even their preoccupation with clothing, can be indicative of a heart that loves self more than God. Ouch, that’s harsh. I know. But we shouldn’t buy into the world’s obsession with fashion, and being sexy. Our fixation should be on drawing attention to God by the way we dress and behave.
And while I’m here I might as well mention something else that’s been bothering me, and that’s how we are dressing our little girls and training our pre-teens to dress. Every mother, grandmother, and mentor needs to address the issue of modesty. We should teach the young girls and ladies with whom we have influence, that we are God’s girls, and we should try to please Him in all that we do, including how we dress. And not just as God’s girls, we should set trends not follow them. And we certainly shouldn’t try to draw attention to our bodies. We are beautiful without that!
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